The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
-Psalm 19:1

Do you know that God controls the clouds and makes his lightning flash?
-Job 37:15



Monday, April 07, 2008

My trip to downtown Atlanta... after the tornado

Yet another severe weather outbreak occurred Thursday and Friday of last week, generating 24 total storm reports with 12 already confirmed as tornadoes. So far, there have been 335 confirmed tornadoes this year, and with the average year to date quantity being 167, that is a startling number, especially when you consider the big bulls-eye on Oklahoma for today as they forecast yet another severe weather outbreak with a potential risk of tornadoes. The risk shifts eastward tomorrow, covering Arkansas and Missouri... just what they need and then shifts back to Oklahoma and much of Texas of Wednesday as the second system rolls in hot on the heels of today's storms... It appears that we are well on track for a historic. I am guessing they are awaiting a final count before updating the trend chart.

I had a wonderful weekend in Atlanta. As part of the trip, we took the kids to the World of Coca-Cola (world's largest focused advertisement for Coco-Cola, where you actually pay them to market to you), conveniently located in downtown Atlanta, right in the area where the historic EF-2 tornado struck on March 14. You know me, I was able to talk bf into walking through the Centennial Olympic Park where I was able to capture some great shots of the tornado damage in the downtown area (as well of some very low cloud cover shots). It took him a few seconds, but bf quickly caught onto my ulterior motives for the "stroll through the park". It's ok though, the kids had a great time exploring the various statues and the fountains that were still working, as some were disabled because of the drought. I don't feel very strongly that the funnel was actually on the ground at the point, but certainly it was descended and causing some damage in the area, including the movement of the Westin Peachtree Hotel. I will let my picture summary cover the tornado damage there...Speaking of that tornado, I got an email from Shane Durrance that the "only photograph of the March 14th downtown Atlanta tornado" is now posted on a website for print purchase. This guy is racking up some serious dough for this photograph... get your 8 X 12" print for only $49.98... that too small for you, you can purchase the 24 x 36" for only $209.98. Good grief. So, if you are interested... you know where to go. This is what he wrote to me:

My life has been a whirl wind, no pun intended, since this whole thing started... We have a lot going on preparing for the Cabbage Town Initiative and art show happening in a few months. Please feel free to call me with any questions. Thanks.
Aside from that part of the trip to Atlanta, we did have some severe weather in the region while we were having dinner Friday evening with my extended family. We had them bring speakers over so I could keep an eye on the radar on the local news channel. All I have to show for that is a halfway decent shelf cloud... oh well, you win some, you lose some. On the way back from dropping his children off, bf was sweet to offer to stop at all the charming little churches. We stopped at a couple, but only one of those shots really impressed me...

I got an email from an author who is looking to interview storm chasers, who make money from storm chasing... he asked me for an interview, but as you guys know and as I told him, that is not me, so if you fall within that category and are interested in talking to this guy, drop me a line, and I will gladly pass your info along.

Have a lovely day,
~Dewdrop

15 comments:

  1. Hey, Dew! That's not a bad shelf cloud for Georgia! :) Plus, I am also really enjoying your pictures of the little churches. I have seen a few of those here in the Dallas area, but I never am able to stop and shoot them. I certainly wish I were the guy who had gotten the picture of that tornado so I could rake in the cash! Still, though, knowing the kind of damage it caused would really dampen my gumption about selling it in the first place.

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  2. Yeah, the kids thought it was cool. What's been great is watching bf learn so much about this weather. He asks so many questions, and has a true interest in learning as much as he can. We are talking about a last minute trip to the plains in May. I am hoping that Shane is giving proceeds to the effort to rebuild Cabbagetown, and that is the initiative he referenced. I'm sure he'll get a penny or two out of it though. It was an awesome pic!

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  3. May is definitely a great time to hit the plains; especially Kansas, Nebraska, and the Dakotas. I wish I could get my wife interested in storm chasing! :)

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  4. Sounds like a great weekend! The clouds were really impressive with this system.

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  5. Hey Dew looks like you had a great weekend! We just stayed home as always. We received awhole lot of rain yesterday some places as much 4+ inches. They had a flash flood warning for some counties imagine that. TTYS Jess

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  6. I really hope we can get a good deal and get on out there... and of course, the right set up. Our schedules limit us drastically, so it may not happen.

    Yes, Mike. Awesome weekend. Sounds like yours was pretty spectacular too. How many donuts?? lol

    Jess, Flash flooding can be interesting to shoot. We didn't get nearly that much rain! Wow!

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  7. Sounds like an enjoyable weekend for you. By the way, you were probably 60 miles from me while you were in the Atlanta area.

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  8. It was a wonderful weekend! We had a great time, and we covered a lot of ground. Even got a little (very little, but nonetheless) down time. We were so close.

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  9. Those buildings look like the ones in Ft Lauderdale and Miami after Hurricane Wilma in 2005. Nice pics!

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  10. Really... what category did Wilma come into Miami/Ft. Lauderdale as? 2005 was the year of the hurricane, wasn't it??? My tracking chart is crazy for that year. I guess I could consult it to answer my own question... lol Thanks.

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  11. Ahh yes, Cat 3... potent storm at that point.

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  12. Interview for people who make money storm chasing? Please tell me how to make this money!!!!!! Ahhhh, I guess I'll just settle for the adrenaline rush. Still SDS deprived up here in Va, someone call the man above and take the Dewvoid off me! I agree, the shelf cloud picture is pretty nice, i like it.

    SCM

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  13. If I knew, I wouldn't have sent away the author. Perhaps, we should read the guy's book... lol

    Sorry about your SDS. That really stinks. I can't believe you're blaiming... the Dewvoid!!! lol

    As for the shelf, bf was so funny. He said... WHAT IS THAT?! I told him it was a shelf cloud, basically, the leading edge of a storm, and he pulled over so I could get pics... such a sweetie.

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  14. okok - I know I'm behind the times on the blog but I just felt that I should point out to you that your recent trip to Atlanta could not hold a candle to the time you and I went and filmed "our version" of "The Blair Witch Project". Ah, good times! lol

    LL

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  15. LL, Welcome back to the blog scene. So glad you decided to stop by!!! It's funny you mention that "Blair Witch Project" rendition. While we were walking back from the park, we passed "Imagine It" and I reminded Mini-Dew about the time you and I did that. LOL!!! Good times, indeed. hee hee.

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